The present invention relates to the field of storage containers. More particularly, the present invention relates to storage containers of the fiberboard type that are frequently used for the storage and transport of produce.
In the grocery business, the profits generated depend upon a large volume of products flowing through to produce earnings. Because of the large volume of shipments, improvements in packaging that protects products from damage and loss are in great demand. The large amount of shipments occurring also provide a strong incentive for decreasing the cost of the packaging, even to the extent of a few pennies per container.
One effective technique of minimizing the cost of packaging is to reduce the amount of material and labor used in constructing the container. A balance must be struck, however, because using too little material will adversely affect the strength of the container. This is a particularly difficult proposition for the shipment of raw produce. Raw produce tends to be delicate, but at the same time, heavy and water-laden. The handling of produce containers is also a problem because they are frequently stacked and are therefore subject to stacking loads from the weight of the containers above them. The stacking loads may crush the containers and damage the delicate produce contained therein.
Solutions to this problem have been attempted in the prior art through the use of containers with reinforced walls. The walls are reinforced through the use of multiple layers of fiberboard in some type of overlapping arrangement. In one arrangement, the container has a floor, a first and second set of sidewalls and a lid. Each sidewall of the first set of sidewalls is further equipped with a pair of minor flap emanating from the lateral edges of the first sidewall. After the first sidewalls are folded upwards, the pair of minor flaps are folded inwards until are adjacent to the pair of minor flaps of the opposing first sidewall. The second set of sidewalls are then folded upwards until they are flush with the minor flaps. The second set of sidewalls are then folded downwards to effectively "sandwich" the minor flaps within the second set of sidewalls. One drawback of this arrangement is that the floor can still sag or collapse.
Some prior art containers include minor flaps that are long enough to allow the free edges of the flaps to overlap. However, this arrangement has drawbacks as well. For example, the overlap between flaps requires the use of extra material which raises costs. Additionally, it also reduces the contact area between the second pair of sidewalls and the flaps, generally making the structure weaker. Accordingly, a more reliable container was needed.